All posts tagged: Music

Actor Chris Pratt says listening to Christian music relieved his depression

Published by

In a recent Instagram post, Hollywood actor Chris Pratt stated that as he was going through a recent bout of depression, he listened to Christian music while jogging, and it provided an almost immediate release for the actor famed for his leading roles in Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Premier Christian News reports that the depression started after an uproar over an earlier post Chris had made, where he thanked his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, for giving birth to a healthy daughter. He was immediately attacked by trolls who accused Pratt of mocking his previous wife who had given birth to a son nine weeks early, who consequently experienced health issues including visual impairment. Of course, this was not Pratt’s intent, but the trolls were relentless and had previously gone after Chris because of his Christian faith. In his post, Chris explained what happened: “Good morning, everybody. I went to bed last night really kind of upset and depressed, and I woke up feeling crappy, and I didn’t want to work out. “I …

Study: Just 30-seconds of Mozart could reduce epileptic seizures

Published by

According to researchers from Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, just 30 seconds of Mozart has the ability to calm the parts of our mind linked to seizure and epileptic attacks. Study Finds reports that the researchers had 16 people with drug resistant epileptic seizures listen to several clips of music, including Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos, written in 1781. As they were listening, the researchers monitored their brain activity using electroencephalograms. They found that as the people listened to Mozart, there was an average 66.5% reduction in the electrical spikes in the brain that cause epilepsy. This song, along with “40-Hz auditory gamma-band tones,” were the only musical clips that recorded a reduction. Based on their observations, the researchers concluded that listening to Mozart daily could reduce the number of epileptic seizures by as much as 66%. This was not the first study to notice that this particular song positively impacted brain activity. An earlier study found that the song increased a person’s “spatial reasoning ability.” READ: Just 30 seconds of Mozart calms brain regions …

Video: The Lamentations of Jeremiah

Published by

An orchestra in Munich, Germany has just released this video on Jeremiah’s prayers from the book of Lamentations on Babylon’s sacking of Jerusalem and destruction of the Jewish Temple in 586 BC. The video was produced during the pandemic. Aleteia, a Catholic news site, explains: A German orchestra has released most incredible work of sacred music to be recorded since the world pandemic began. Titled Oratio, the work draws on the texts of the biblical Book of Lamentations, which when put to music is usually called “The Lamentations of Jeremiah.”  This is a brand new composition from contemporary German composer Mathias Rehfeldt. A composer of sacred music and film scores, Rehfeldt beautifully captures the emotion behind the text, which is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The work features a full orchestra and chorus performing at Munich’s jaw-dropping Theatine Church, conducted by Father Robert Mehlhart OP. READ: ‘Oratio’ is the greatest sacred music recording of 2020 Lamentations 1:1-4: How deserted lies the city,    once so full of people!How like …

Anointed worship song leads man to confess to murder?

Published by

An interesting story emerged during the recent trial of Danny Dashay Holmes about the power and anointing on Christian music. Danny was on trial in Indiana, for the December 16, 2016, murder of Cesar Lopez-Flores. According to the Daily News Journal (DNJ), after kidnapping a woman by the name of Brittany Johnson, Danny forced Brittany to drive to Lopez-Flores home where Danny and others murdered Lopez-Flores. Johnson was then released unharmed. During his trial in August 2019, Danny dramatically announced to the court he would plead guilty to the murder. Danny stated that a year earlier he had become a Christian, but what prompted him to confess was Big Daddy Weave’s song called “Redeemed.” Now I must confess I had never heard of Big Daddy Weave, but the Christian band features a former worship leader of a church in Pensacola Florida, Mike Weaver. And though I had never heard of Big Daddy Weave, I am apparently one of the few who hasn’t because the video of the band’s song “Redeemed” has been viewed over 39 …

NF (rapper) Credit: YouTube Capture/Napster

Christian Rapper tops the US Billboard chart in October

Published by

Going by the stage name NF, Nathan John Feuerstein, 26, is a Christian rapper and hip-hop artist who topped the Billboard Chart in October. For an entire week, his album, Perception, was the top selling album in America, Christian or secular. Since his debut in 2010, Nathan has released four albums. His first entitled Moments was released in 2012 under the name Nathan Feuerstein. Since then, he has released three more albums under the stage-name NF that included Mansion in 2015. He released Therapy Session in 2016 which won a Dove Award for top hip hop album of the year. It was also the top-selling Christian Album and top US rap album in 2016 and overall it was the 12th best-selling album in the US that year. A song from the album, “Oh Lord,” (which you can hear below) won the 2017 Dove Award for top Hip Hop song. It has had quite an impact. Here is just a sampling of the YouTube comments from the song: It’s Just Kayla This song pushes me to tears …

Credit: Ram Balmur/Flickr/Creative Commons

Skillful Musicians or Musicians of Snobbery?

Published by

While there has been much discussion that  musicians must excel to be part of a worship team, one wonders if Christian leaders often revert to snobbery rather than skilfulness when selecting musical players. Biblical Pattern In the first book of Chronicles we are shown the selection pattern used in David’s tabernacle to determine those who were to have a ministry in music. “And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.  And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then waited on their office according to their order.” (I Chronicles 6:31-32) The musicians selected were Levites, those separated to the work of the LORD. “And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethern to be the singers with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.” (I Chronicles 15:16) …

Credit: Justin/Flickr/Creative Commons

Come-back Singers

Published by

Michael Jackson was just 50 years old when he died June 25, 2009. While no one will deny the man’s God-given talent for song and dance which was displayed in his early years, there are many questions surrounding his bizarre behavior in the second half of his life. The day of Michael Jackson’s death, I attended a weekly worship and prayer meeting where one spirit-filled Believer stated that she had been thinking about all the ‘old’ singers who have started touring again. Since many things in life begin with the natural (I Cor. 15:46) and then the spiritual, she wondered what implications this resurfacing of old musicians might have in the spiritual realm. Michael Jackson, as so many legendary acts like “The Eagles” and “The Rolling Stones,” wanted to make a come-back into the entertainment world. But as a believer that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the only one to be worshiped, I have to wonder if any person who claims himself to be the King of the music world will be …

Credit: rachelakelso/Flickr/Creative Commons

God Sings Over Us

Published by

The Greatest Singer/Songwriter “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like many of his prophetic counterparts, Zephaniah uncovered the great truth that our great LORD is a God who rejoices over His people. Not only is this a God who sings over His people but He is also a songwriter. Isaiah, the prophet who’s writings are literary wonders also recognized that our beloved Bridegroom has a song which He makes known to His bride. “Now will I sing to my beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard”(Isaiah 5:1a). “…and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Isaiah 62:5b) In Psalm 42:8b, the Psalmist tells us, “…and in the night his song shall be with me…” Scripture based Songs In my early years as a Christian, most churches sang scripture songs which I discovered was an easy way …

Keith Green — Asleep in the Night

Published by

Keith Green (1953-1982) and his wife Melody were products of the Jesus People movement as the Holy Spirit swept through the Hippie generation during the late 60s and early 70s. Keith and his wife, both Jews, were radically transformed by the Gospel of Christ in 1975, 18 months after their marriage on Christmas Day in 1973. Keith was one of the most radical Christians I knew at the time — he and his wife were totally sold out to the Kingdom of God. 

Oh Happy Day — Edwin Hawkins

Published by

This is one of my favourite Christian songs and I don’t think I am alone. Oh Happy Day, written by Edwin Hawkins in 1968, is the all-time best-selling Gospel song to date. The above video which features Edwin Hawkins does not have the best video quality, but I wanted a clip with Edwin singing his hit.

Mansion Builder — ‘Second Chapter of Acts’

Published by

“Cause I’ve got a Mansion Builder Who ain’t through with me yet.” This post will date me, but I believe Second Chapter of Acts was one of the most unique and arguably best Christian singing groups of the last 50 years. The group was composed of two sisters Annie Herring and Nellie Greisen and brother Mathew Ward. The above song is one of their hits — Mansion Builder — performed live in 1987 in California. After their last parent (dad) died in 1970, the younger children Nellie (14) and Mathew (12) moved in with Annie and her husband Buck Herring, a music producer and recording engineer.

Music helps the damaged heart

Published by

According to Prof Delijanin Ilic listening to music helps people with heart problems. Dr. Ilic works with the Institute of Cardiology at the University of Nix in Siberia. She and her team studied three groups of people with heart disease. Two of the groups attended classes where they performed cardio-vascular exercises prescribed for people with heart conditions. The first group just attended the exercise sessions.